All The Time Always
by emily.down
Summary: Another take on "Everything Sunny All The Time Always". Because there is something obvious going on here and this episode makes it pretty clear. Jack/Liz. R&R


This time Lemon knew she had to be tough on him. It was getting ridiculous. He'd been hiding in that office, behind her silly bag problem for too long, ignoring his own personal mess.

'Hey, can we talk?' she said, lingering at the door.

'Come in, Lemon. I just talked to Condi. It was dreadful. She kept reminiscing all our terrible past dates, including the one where we thought fried onions could make a legit erotic food. Long story short, she promised to help get Avery out of there, but she said doesn't promise anything. Typical of her.'

'Well, it's still something...'

'I suppose so. Well, as you can see, I'm terribly busy.'

Liz sat down on his couch and watched him carefully.

'Making calls? Signing important documents?'

'Pretty much.'

'All work-related, right? NBC paper-work?'

'What do you think, Lemon? This company runs on good entertainment and Tom Hanks cameos?'

'What about Avery?'

'What about her?' he asked, not raising his head.

'What about her? She's been kidnapped! She's in the worst country in the world right now! Worse than Little Britain. Maybe you should take a break from work and...'

'I've done everything that is in my power, Lemon. I've exhausted my Donaghy name. All I can do now is wait. And you know how I hate waiting. So I am keeping myself busy.'

Liz sighed in frustration and stared at the TV which was on mute.

'How is your bag problem going?' he asked.

'Not that great. I think I'm hallucinating. I mean the bag talked to me yesterday and told me he has geni...You know what? No, we will not do this!' she said getting up.

She walked up to him and took the papers from him.

'Your wife is held hostage in North Korea! What is wrong with you? Panic! Cry! Stand over a window precariously! Be sleep-deprived and have red eyes!'

'Lemon, have you gone insane?'

'The question is, why haven't _you_ gone insane? This is the love of your life, Jack.'

'I am very aware of that, Lemon. You don't need to remind me.'

'Then why are you being such a cold fish?'

'I am trying to stay calm, alright? I am trying not to go down that road because I know I'm never coming back.'

'What road?'

'The road of guilt and depression. I can't allow myself to go there. I need to be on top of this situation! Otherwise, nothing will get done.'

Liz's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

'You're only human, you know that. And you act as if Avery were some stranger. I guess I was expecting something else.'

'Well, I'm sorry to have failed you in that respect,' Jack muttered annoyed. 'I'm sorry you can't see what I'm going through.'

'But I want to! Just let it out, Jack!'

'Lemon, I would like to be alone now.'

'Jack.'

'Right now.'

She left his office in resignation.

* * *

><p>'Miss, it's very dangerous what you're doing!' a passer-by shouted at her while Liz tried getting the bag out of the tree.<p>

She had been climbing trees since she was eight. Hell, she still had it in her. She could do it now too, even if this was New York and a very busy street.

And this was her last resort.

'It's okay concerned citizen! I am an expert on trees! And this bag isn't, so I've got the leverage!'

She stretched her arms towards it. Her fingers had almost reached it.

But at the last moment, the cheeky bag grinned mischievously, and she fell.

* * *

><p>When she opened her eyes, she felt something soft underneath her. It was a bed. But it was clean and there were no candy wrappings in it. She almost jumped up. This wasn't her bed.<p>

Then she saw an IV cord and a machine set up next to it, while the smell of chloride and urine filled her nostrils. She was in a hospital.

Then her eyes fell on another image.

It was Jack.

He was pacing the room wildly, making phone calls, shouting loudly into the phone, running a hand through his well-groomed hair and spitting out pretty harsh expletives at whomever got in his way, including nurses and doctors.

At first, she thought he was talking to the government about Avery, but only later she realized he was calling doctors and talking about her.

'Sir, we're doing everything we can here, alright? She'll come out of her coma soon! So, stop calling me in here! It's the fifteenth time!' a nurse yelled in exasperation, trying to pull away from him.

Coma? Huh, she wondered what that was all about. She realized then that she couldn't move her body. She started panicking.

Her heart was beating like crazy.

Jack noticed the change in the machine. Then he noticed her eyes were open.

She rushed to her bedside.

'Lemon, you're awake.'

'Yeah...' she began morosely. 'What did I miss?'

He sighed and sat down.

'You almost broke your back and gave me a heart attack,' he said, smiling briefly. 'Also, you've been in a coma for two days.'

'Oh...wow. That's...that's quite something,' she said, moving her head towards him slightly.

'Am I...am I gonna be okay?'

'Don't worry, I'll make sure you will be. I've got the best doctors on the case. You'll need surgery, but it looks doable. Luckily, you fell over a dog on the street so the impact was considerably smaller.'

'Is the dog still alive?' she asked worriedly.

He raised an eyebrow. 'Have you recently weighed yourself?'

'Right...Damn, I killed a dog.'

'And saved a life. Yours,' he quipped.

'Um, I...thanks Jack, for being here.'

'Jenna came by earlier to check on you. And your parents will arrive this afternoon,' he told her.

'You...'

'Called them, yes. Even Colleen for some reason, wants to see you. She arrived yesterday. I told her you might not want to... but she insisted, you know how she can be,' he said, sighing.

'Aww, that's really sweet of her, of course I'll see her. I need some feisty old lady spirit in me,' she grinned. Then she realized it hurt a little to grin.

'Ouch, that hurt,' she said softly. 'I wish I could reach out and pat you on the back. You look like you need it.'

Jack looked away.

'You okay?' she asked.

'You gave me a fright, Elizabeth. Especially with the coma. I've already lost Geist, I didn't want to lose you too.'

'Comparing me to Geist, huh? That's something.'

He chuckled.

She took a better look at him. He was in a bad shape. His eyes were puffy and red, he looked like he hadn't slept in well, two days, and his entire apparel reminded her of Kevin Spacey in American Beauty. In other words, he looked worn out and lonely. And wasn't this the same suit he had worn two days ago? It was strange seeing him like this. Very strange.

'Well, you look a little bit like crap,' she told him wincing.

'That's the only time you'll ever get to say that, Lemon.'

'Did you..stay here with me all this time?'

'Not all the time, but most of it,' he mumbled.

She was going to thank him, but then she recalled that he was going through a major crysis.

'Jack, how's Avery?'

He made a confused face, like he'd almost forgotten about it. He coughed.

'Oh, Avery...still no answer, unfortunately. I don't think Condi helped after all. But she's alright. I saw her on TV. They've made her Kim Jong Il's honorary wife.'

'Oh...damn, that's harsh Jack, you have to get her out of there, asap.'

'I don't think I can right now. I just have to wait and see,' he said, brushing over the entire issue. 'Now, you have to listen to me, Lemon. No more climbing trees, no more peppy songs while you paint your apartment, no more fixing your life. It's good the way it is. I don't want to have to worry like this in the future. Not about my wing man.'

Lemon smiled. 'Sure thing, Jack.'

It might have hit her then, had she not been half-asleep, half-awake. But Jack would never care for Avery the way he cared for her.

And it would have hurt her, realizing this.

Because she would have understood that no matter what new woman he found himself later on, she would always be more important. Because he would always love her first and the others second.

Because they could never be together, but she would be stuck with his unconditional love. And she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

But for now, she was happily oblivious to this.

They were just gazing into each other's eyes, happy to have another day together.


End file.
